This isn’t what Matthew Olosunde was expecting when he signed on the dotted line for Preston North End.
When a player signs for a new club, everybody should be excited; the fans, the player, the staff, even the players as they welcome new competition.
That was the case when Olosunde joined the club in the summer.
Olosunde had shown real potential with Rotherham United and looked like finally solving Preston’s right back problem.
Quick and not afraid to go forward given his history as a former winger, Olosunde looked like a sensible addition. Landing him on a free transfer just made the move even better.
Sadly, we’re now into February and no closer to truly knowing whether Olosunde is Preston’s long-term answer on the right side.
The American picked up an injury in his first pre-season game against St Johnstone in July. Olosunde didn’t kick a ball for Preston’s first team until December.
Olosunde was thrown into a starting role against Blackburn Rovers, but sadly picked up another injury in the second half.
That meant another frustrating period on the sidelines for Olosunde. New boss Ryan Lowe came in just days after the defeat at Blackburn with Olosunde unable to play.
Preston’s wing back roles remain in flux under Lowe, with chopping and changing in those areas as North End seek a long-term solution.
Olosunde was given a chance off the bench for Preston against Swansea City on Saturday, but it was a difficult afternoon for the 23-year-old.
Olosunde caught an earful from Lowe after blazing one cross out of play. He didn’t look comfortable on the ball and seemed shaky at the back, slipping comically at one stage to give Swansea a big chance.
This resulted in Preston fans taking to Twitter to claim that Olosunde would never make it at North End, writing him off already.
Maybe Olosunde works out, maybe he doesn’t. One thing is for sure; you can’t make that decision yet.
Olosunde has played twice for Preston. Those two appearances weren’t even full games, with his minutes totalling just 136.
It’s far too early to make a call on Olosunde, and he ultimately deserves time to get fit and firing.
After a tough start to life at Deepdale, Olosunde deserves more than two games to turn it around.
He has shown his quality in the Championship before and can absolutely do it again in a Preston shirt – he just needs the opportunities.